NCSC seeks partners to develop resilient private 5G networks

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is inviting technology companies, researchers and other industry partners to help shape more secure and resilient private 5G systems.

The initiative forms part of the NCSC’s research programme and is intended to inform future guidance, services and products. It reflects the growing use of private 5G in enterprise networks, industrial environments, critical services and remote operations, where dependable communications may be required even when conventional infrastructure is unavailable or under attack.

Areas of interest

The NCSC is looking for established suppliers as well as innovators with emerging technologies, research capabilities, security techniques or practical deployment experience. Priority areas include:

• Rapid deployment: portable, compact private 5G platforms that can be installed and operated with limited specialist support, including in temporary or disconnected locations.
• Resilient connectivity: wireless mesh networking and integrated access and backhaul approaches that can expand coverage and reduce dependence on fixed infrastructure.
• Identity-based security: enterprise integration using technologies such as EAP-TLS, public key infrastructure, certificate lifecycle management and zero-trust architectures.
• Recovery and continuity: secure backup and restoration of network services and subscriber information following failures or cyber incidents.
• Monitoring and detection: security controls covering radio, transport and core network layers, including detection of rogue components, signalling anomalies and other 5G-specific threats.

The agency said future private 5G deployments must combine high performance with strong security, flexible operating models and the ability to withstand, detect and recover from disruption. It also highlighted potential use cases such as emergency communications, event connectivity, research environments and operations in difficult-to-reach areas.

Intellectual property

Organisations considering the expression of interest should review the associated intellectual-property conditions. The NCSC states that it expects to retain ownership of foreground intellectual property produced through the project, while suppliers would generally retain their pre-existing, or background, intellectual property.

The engagement is aimed at organisations able to contribute products, services, research or ideas that challenge conventional assumptions about how private 5G networks are deployed and protected.